Getting a bird’s-eye view of climate change
Birdwatchers are needed for the Great Backyard Bird Count this month
There are fewer coal mines in which to find canaries these days, but climate change has birds turning up in some unusual places.
Warmer temperatures are changing when birds return from their winter migration south, while fierce storms can push avian travellers off course, leading to strange sightings like the hurricane-blown flamingos that landed in the eastern United States in the fall.
To track the effects of climate change on bird populations, groups like Birds Canada recruit citizen scientists to go birdwatching and submit a list of what species they see during the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), on this year from Feb. 16 to 19.
“It’s a worldwide event that unites bird and nature lovers around the globe over four days,” Kerrie Wilcox of Port Rowan-based Birds Canada told The Spectator.
“Combined with other bird counts, GBBC results help create a clearer picture of how birds are faring — whether individual species are declining, increasing, or holding steady in the face of habitat loss, climate change and other threats.”
Last year, half a million citizen scientists took part in the bird count, reporting 7,500 different species spotted around the world.
Participation can involve as little as going into the backyard — or a nearby park, trail, apartment balcony or city street — and writing down what birds flit by over the course of 15 minutes.
The data helps biologists track population changes that often reflect broader trends regarding climate change and habitat loss, while participants — whether solo or in a group — benefit by getting outside and learning more about the natural world.
For more information, visit birdcount.org/participate.